We still want a tree

A stone house, a tree and an animal is what "Huisje, boompje, beestje" stands for in the Netherlands. All houses are built out of stone, bricks red or yellow. A wooden house is too expensive and so are trees. A country that arose from the sea doesn't come with trees. It's clay that you find in the soil. Black, red or yellow... it depends on where you dig. It's good to make bricks out of it although most brick factories among the riversides are abandoned. It's a shame they are not used for something else especially because the need for homes is increasing. Only a few are renovated and changed into apartments where mainly artists live. Life among the riverside, a view over the water sounds good to me. It's more comfortable than living on a ship and cutting the ice around it during strong winters.

The trees... they are planted at a time people still cared, cared about a garden and trees. All our forests are planted and it shows... Trees lined up is what you see everywhere and those taking care of nature know how to make it look better.

Never clean up a fallen branch or tree because that's not what nature would do. Let it be and flora and fauna take over soon enough.

The tree... It can be it stands for a fruit tree as well. Who has a home needs food and a fruit tree, preferable more, does one good. Apple and plum trees are common just like pears, although these days hardly anyone picks his own fruit. Does the tree stand for firewood? Not with us. Parts of the Dutch soil is peat. Good for hiding corpses but it was once used to heat and cook by those who could not afford to buy coal.
Today most of us have central heath. A central heath that needs natural gas. It's safer than using the old coal stoves and gas heaters.

The animal... How we love it. Just like a home and tree an animal makes our life complete. We still go for it although the reason has changed, today we go for the pet. It's not that long ago the dog pulled a car, guarded our home and the ferret or cat caught mice. Today it's a pet that spends life mainly inside. It lays on the sofa or with us in bed and those who dare to let his pet outside is an animal executioner.
Horses no longer work, neither do donkeys. Goats and sheep are mainly kept as a hobby. Only a few try to make an income out of animals.
Milk, meat, eggs became food a certain group avoids using. Being picky is what they can afford being raised in a society where no one cares about a self-sufficient life and the government removes trees easily to replace them with more stone.

The once precious garden, the pride of the family became a burden since gardening takes time and weeds never stop growing. Paved lawns are more practical to us and it avoids the mess made by our animal. An animal not allowed to dig, run, live like an animal, is forbidden to have fun. Gardens with tiles or cobblestones, full of trash is what you see if you visit the streets where those live who are always busy or... at least pretend to be.
It's a world of stone we live in. A home with a yard of stone, where we once in a while set a foot outside so our dog won't feel alone. From behind our screen, we watch more grey and demonstrate against those who dare to fell the rainforest. It proves we still want a tree just not at our place but overseas.

#kittywu #nature #freewrite #column #tree